India beats China to become country with most severe air pollution; here’s disturbing real-time map

In the last seven days, Ghaziabad, Noida, Delhi, Meerut, Lucknow, Sonipat, Muzaffarnagar -- all north Indian states -- showed the highest level of air pollution.

The air quality tracker also found that 40 of the world’s most polluted cities are in India.

Air Pollution in India has not only been turning toxic but has also surpassed pollution levels in China in recent years, a real-time map on air quality has shown. According to Berkeley Earth, which analyses air quality in real-time, “India surpassed China in recent years as the region of the world with the most severe air pollution”.

“The current smokey skies of the Bay Area are a normal winter day in much of India,” Climate Scientist Zeke Hausfather posted on Twitter on Thursday. The air quality tracker also found that 40 of the world’s most polluted cities are in India.

In the last seven days, Ghaziabad, Noida, Delhi, Meerut, Lucknow, Sonipat, Muzaffarnagar — all north Indian states — showed the highest level of air pollution.

India has surpassed China in recent years as the region of the world with the most severe air pollution. The current smokey skies of the Bay Area are a normal winter day in much of India. https://t.co/g0R9VpnwZn pic.twitter.com/FhPWOdOXHh

As per System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR), a government agency, stubble burning accounted for 33% of Delhi’s air pollution earlier this month, which was the highest for the month. The pollution caused by crop burning has ranged from 5%-33% over the last one month.

Other factors such as vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, and smoke from firecrackers around Diwali also plague the national capital’s air quality every year.